Direct-acting Anticoagulants in Chronic Coronary Syndromes

Direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are easier to use, safer than and as effective as vitamin K antagonists (VKA) in the treatment of non-valvular AF (NVAF). Because of their favourable safety profile and easier use than VKAs, DOACs as anti-thrombotic therapy may have a role in the management of chronic coronary syndromes (CCS). To date, few studies have evaluated DOACs in this setting. Initial studies have focused on patients receiving DOACs for NVAF undergoing acute or elective percutaneous coronary intervention who additionally require dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Rivaroxaban 15 mg once daily plus a P2Y12 inhibitor compared with a VKA regimen was associated with a reduction of bleedings (HR 0.59; 95% CI [0.47–0.76]; p<0.001). Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus DAPT up to 12 months followed by rivaroxaban 15 mg once daily plus P2Y12 inhibitor showed similar results. Dabigatran 110 mg twice daily plus a P2Y12 inhibitor versus a VKA regimen was associated with a reduction of bleedings (HR 0.52; 95% CI [0.42–0.63]; p<0.001), after a mean follow-up of 14 months. A dabigatran 150 mg regimen showed similar results. Apixaban 5 mg twice daily plus a P2Y12 inhibitor versus a VKA regimen confirmed at 6 months the safety of DOACs with a reduction of bleedings (HR 0.69; 95% CI [0.58–0.81]; p<0.001 for non-inferiority and superiority). Edoxaban 60 mg once daily plus a P2Y12 inhibitor was non-inferior to a VKA regimen on bleeding outcomes (major bleeding or non-major clinically relevant non-major bleeding) after a 12-month follow-up (HR 0.83; 95% CI [0.65–1.05]; p=0.001 for non-inferiority; p=0.1154 for superiority). Meta-analysis of these four trials confirmed the safety of DOACs regarding bleeding outcomes, but showed a trend toward stent thrombosis for dual antithrombotic therapy using DOACs versus triple antithrombotic therapy using VKAs. DOACs may show promise in the management of high-risk patients with chronic coronary syndromes. In these patients, rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily in addition to aspirin was shown to reduce the composite outcome of cardiovascular death, stroke or MI compared to aspirin alone (HR 0.76; 95% CI [0.66–0.86]; p<0.001). All-cause death, cardiovascular death and stroke were also significantly lower. This benefit was at the cost of an increase in non-fatal bleeding

0232 : Small, medium but not large arteries are involved in digital ulcers associated with systemic sclerosis

BackgroundDigital ulcers (DU) are a burden in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Microangiopathy is a cardinal feature of SSc that plays a critical role in the development of DU. However, whether injury of medium or large vessels also contributes to DU in SSc is unknown.MethodsTo measure concomitantly in SSc patients with and without active DU i) the Augmentation Index of the reflected wave (Aix_75) by radial applanation tonometry, an index of small and medium arterial function, II) the aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), a marker of large vessel injury (aortic stiffness).Results63 consecutive SSc patients were included (49 females, aged 57±12 years, disease duration 9.7±7.1 years), including 10 (15.9%) with active DU.Patients with active DU versus those without had increased Aix_75 (35% [28-38] versus 28% [20-34], p=0.041) whereas no difference existed in PWV (7,0m/s [6.7-10.1] versus 7,6m/s [6.8-8.7], p=0.887), in systolic, diastolic, as well as aortic pulse pressure (p=0.126, 0.592, and 0.161 respectively).By multivariate analysis, DU remained independently associated with Aix_75 (p=0.020).Using Aix_75 as a longitudinal variable, and when compared to patients in the low tertile, patients having Aix_75 in the highest tertile had ten-fold more DU (OR=10.23; 95% CI 1.12 to 93.34, p=0.039).ConclusionThe presence of DU is independently associated with Aix_75 whereas there is no relation with PWV. These data suggest that small and medium arteries are involved in the occurrence of DU whether large vessel stiffness does not contribute. Whether Aix_75 is predictive of further DU remained to be studied

Simple risk models to predict cardiovascular death in patients with stable coronary artery disease

Aims: Risk estimation is important to motivate patients to adhere to treatment and to identify those in whom additional treatments may be warranted and expensive treatments might be most cost effective. Our aim was to develop a simple risk model based on readily available risk factors for patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods and results: Models were developed in the CLARIFY registry of patients with stable CAD, first incorporating only simple clinical variables and then with the inclusion of assessments of left ventricular function, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and haemoglobin levels. The outcome of cardiovascular death over ∼5 years was analysed using a Cox proportional hazards model. Calibration of the models was assessed in an external study, the CORONOR registry of patients with stable coronary disease. We provide formulae for calculation of the risk score and simple integer points-based versions of the scores with associated look-up risk tables. Only the models based on simple clinical variables provided both good c-statistics (0.74 in CLARIFY and 0.80 or over in CORONOR), with no lack of calibration in the external dataset. Conclusion: Our preferred model based on 10 readily available variables [age, diabetes, smoking, heart failure (HF) symptom status and histories of atrial fibrillation or flutter, myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, percutaneous coronary intervention, and hospitalization for HF] had good discriminatory power and fitted well in an external dataset. Study registration: The CLARIFY registry is registered in the ISRCTN registry of clinical trials (ISRCTN43070564)

Determinants of the prognosis of stable coronary artery disease

Les patients coronariens stables ou stabilisés sont à haut risque d’évènements cardiovasculaires. Ils représentent une population hétérogène avec une présentation clinique, un terrain et un pronostic pouvant être extrêmement variables d’un patient à l’autre. Pourtant, d’après les recommandations internationales, tous doivent bénéficier d’une prise en charge relativement comparable basée sur des essais cliniques réalisés dans des sous-populations restreintes de patients stables et instables, pour la plupart anciens, et ne correspondant plus à la prise en charge actuelle des patients. Préciser les déterminants du pronostic de cette population, et notamment les stratégies thérapeutiques, est un enjeu majeur.Les antagonistes du système rénine-angiotensine (IEC/ARA2) font partie de l’arsenal médicamenteux de tout patient coronarien. Pourtant leur intérêt, en association aux antiagrégants plaquettaires et statines, est incertain chez les patients sans dysfonction ventriculaire gauche qui constituent un sous-groupe important parmi les patients stables.Le registre international REACH a évalué l’impact des IEC/ARA2 dans cette population avec 4 ans de suivi. La méthodologie statistique utilisée a été une analyse observationnelle avec ajustement ou avec appariement selon le score de propension. Il n’a pas été mis en évidence de bénéfice des IEC/ARA2 sur le critère de jugement principal composite associant décès cardiovasculaire – IDM – AVC, de même que sur le critère de jugement secondaire associant décès cardiovasculaire – IDM – AVC – Hospitalisation pour évènement athéro-thrombotique ou sur les critères tertiaires comprenant individuellement chacun des critères de jugement secondaire ainsi que sur la mortalité toute cause. Enfin il n’est pas ressorti non plus de bénéfice franc dans les sous-groupes d’analyse. Les résultats ont été concordants lorsque les analyses ont été réalisées pour les IEC seuls ou pour les ARA2 seuls, et ont été confortés par diverses analyses de sensibilité.Ces données méritent confirmation dans une cohorte indépendante. C’est l’un des objectifs du registre CLARIFY, registre de 32703 patients coronariens stables ou stabilisés, dont le suivi à 5 ans est terminé. Dans ce registre contemporain international, le taux global à 5 ans de mortalité toute cause a été de 7,9%, de mortalité non cardiovasculaire de 5% et de mortalité cardiovasculaire de 2,9%. Un évènement cardiovasculaire comprenant infarctus du myocarde (fatal ou non), angor instable, revascularisation coronaire par angioplastie ou pontage est survenu chez 15,9% des patients.Tout comme les IEC/ARA2, l’impact des bétabloquants dans la prise en charge du coronarien stable ou stabilisé, sans dysfonction ventriculaire est également controversé. Cette classe médicamenteuse est en cours d’évaluation dans CLARIFY. L’analyse tient compte du type de bétabloquant, de la dose prescrite, des éventuelles intolérances amenant à modifier leur utilisation, de la présence et de l’ancienneté d’un infarctus du myocarde et la fraction d’éjection ventriculaire gauche.CLARIFY a également pour objectif d’approfondir les déterminants du pronostic de la maladie coronarienne stable, avec une analyse spécifiquement focalisée sur la présence de symptômes angineux, d’ischémie myocardique et sur leur combinaison, en fonction de l’utilisation des méthodes de revascularisation myocardiques, pour mieux comprendre les mécanismes responsables des évènements cardiovasculaires et évoluer vers une prise en charge plus personnalisée.Stable or stabilized coronary artery disease patients are at high risk for cardiovascular events. They represent a heterogeneous population. The clinical presentation, the context and the prognosis can be extremely variable from one patient to another. However, according to the international guidelines, those patients should be given a relatively comparable treatment based on clinical trials realized in restricted subpopulations of stable and unstable patients. Most of these trials are old, and no longer correspond to the current management. Specifying the determinants of the prognosis of this population, and in particular the therapeutic strategies, is a major challenge.The antagonist receptors of renin-angiotensin system (ACEI/ARB) are a part of the treatment of any coronary artery disease patient. Yet their interest in the prognosis of this population without left ventricular dysfunction in association with antiplatelet agents and statins is uncertain.The contemporary REACH registry has assessed the impact of ACEI/ARB in this population with a 4-year of follow-up. The statistical methodology used was based on the propensity score. After adjustment or matching with the propensity score, there was no benefit of ACEI/ARB on the primary endpoint of cardiovascular death - MI - stroke. No benefit was found on the secondary endpoint of cardiovascular death - MI - stroke - hospitalization for atherothrombotic events. No benefit was found on the tertiary criteria including individually each of the secondary endpoints and on any cause mortality. Finally,there was no clear benefit in the analyzes subgroups. These results were consistent when the analyzes were performed for ACEI alone or for ARB alone. They were also supported by sensitivity analyzes.These data should be confirmed or reversed in an independent cohort. This will be one of the many objectives of the CLARIFY registry, that enrolled 32,703 stable or stabilized coronary artery disease patients. The 5-year follow-up is complete. In this international contemporary registry, the overall 5-year rate of total mortality was 7.9%, non-cardiovascular mortality was 5% and cardiovascular mortality was 2.9%. A cardiovascular event including myocardial infarction (fatal or not), unstable angina, coronary revascularization by angioplasty or bypass surgery occured in 15.9% of patients.Like ACEI/ARB, the impact of betablockers on the management of stable or stabilized coronary artery disease without left ventricular dysfunction is also controversial. This drug class is being evaluated in CLARIFY. The analyzis takes into account the type of beta-blocker, the prescribed dose, any intolerance leading to changes in their use, the history of a myocardial infarction, and the left ventricular ejection fraction.CLARIFY will help to more define the determinants of the prognosis of stable coronary artery disease, with a more particular focus on symptomatic or not, ischemic or not, and revascularized or not, in order to better understand the mechanisms responsible for cardiovascular events, and evolve towards a more personalized and cost-effective care

Apport de l'échographie endovasculaire avec analyse du spectre de radiofréquence dans l'évaluation de la plaque vulnérable coronaire

POITIERS-BU Médecine pharmacie (861942103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Investigation autour d’infections urinaires à Pseudomonas aeruginosa après cystoscopie.

International audienceNous rapportons l’investigation menée autour d’infections urinaires à P. aeruginosa d’allure sporadique, survenues en6 mois au décours de cystoscopies ambulatoires chez trois patients. L’investigation a permis de déceler a posteriori unlien épidémiologique entre les cas et un examen avec un cystoscope souple. Les objectifs étaient de recenser l’ensembledes cas chez les patients exposés et de relier ces infections au cystoscope

Score Using Measurements of Plasma Midregional Pro–Atrial Natriuretic Peptide to Estimate the Duration of Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract Background An accurate estimate of the duration of atrial fibrillation (AF) is critical for its safe and successful management. We examined the ability of midregional pro–atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) to identify patients presenting with AF of ≤48 vs &gt;48 h in duration. Methods We prospectively studied 106 patients presenting with AF of known duration. We examined the predictive values of MR-proANP and N-terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in the detection of recent-onset AF, in addition to other factors identified by multiple variable analyses. Results In patients presenting with AF of ≤48 vs &gt;48 h in duration, the median MR-proANP plasma concentration was 147.7 [95.3–197.4] pmol/L vs 220.4 [154.0–303.1] pmol/L (P &lt;0.001). MR-proANP and NT-proBNP were correlated (r = 0.5, P &lt;10−7), but MR-proANP tended to better discriminate AF of ≤48 h in duration than NT-proBNP (P = 0.09). A score including heart rate, dyspnea, and MR-proANP concentration accurately detected AF of ≤48 h in duration (area under the curve = 0.890; 95% CI, 0.828–0.952). A score of 98 points was an optimal cutoff that excluded AF of ≤48 h in duration with a sensitivity of 95%, while a score of 132.5 points was an optimal cutoff that confirmed AF of ≤48 h in duration with a sensitivity of 95%. Overall, a score ≤98 or ≥132.5 identified AF of ≤48 h in duration in 56% of patients. Conclusions A score based on a model including heart rate, dyspnea, and plasma MR-proANP concentration was helpful in identifying AF of ≤48 h in duration